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Texting can wait

Courtesy PhotoThe Mabank High School student council is participating in the “It Can Wait” program, encouraging teens and parents to avoid texting while driving.

Special to The Monitor
MABANK–Text messaging is becoming the way many people communicate today, which means some people may be doing it at the worst possible times, like while driving.
A recent AT&T survey found that while 97 percent of teens say they know texting while driving is dangerous, 43 percent admit to doing so.
Seventy seven percent of those teens also said they’ve seen their parents text and drive and 75 percent say it is “common” among their friends.
According to Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Research texting drivers are 23 times more likely to be in an accident. For more information, go to www.vtti.vt.edu.
Mabank High School (MHS) students are no different than other drivers. Texting while driving happens regularly on our local streets and highways. MHS student council and leaders would like to lead by example and put safety first when in the driver’s seat, so they’ve written the following tips:
• Be Smart. Don’t text and drive. No message is worth a life.
• Be in Control. Remember it’s your phone. You decide if and when to send and read texts so take control. Download AT&T DriveMode™, an app designed to curb the urge to text and drive.
Standard messaging rates apply to auto-reply messages. AT&T DriveMode is free to AT&T customers only. Compatible device required.
• Be Caring. Don’t send a text when you know your family member, friend or co-worker is driving.
• Be Focused. Never use your phone to take pictures, send and read messages, record video, or watch TV while driving.
• Be Proactive. Take and share the pledge and commit to never text and drive.
• Be a BFF. Friends don’t let each other text and drive.
Safety comes first when you’re in the driver’s seat. To help battle unsafe texting, AT&T teamed up with Balfour to sponsor a “It Can Wait” campaign.
MHS seniors will view a 10 minute documentary called “The Last Text” Thursday, Oct. 25.
They will then be invited to take a pledge to not text and drive. Each senior will receive a thumb band to remind them to not Text and Drive. The AT&T Wireless Survey is at www.att.com/Common/about_us/texting_driving/att_teen_survey_executive.pdf.